Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san [Season 1 Episodes 1-12]

“Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san”: The Chaotic Mermaid Comedy You Didn’t Know You Needed

Let’s cut straight to the point: if you’re scrolling through your anime queue looking for something that’ll make you snort-laugh into your boba tea, Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san is your new obsession. This 12-episode series from Tatsunoko Production (the studio behind classics like Speed Racer) dropped in April 2024, and it’s been blowing up fan forums with one question: “Why isn’t this more popular?!”

The premise sounds simple enough: Takurou Mikoujima, a chill fisherman who just wants to catch some bass, hooks a mermaid named Muromi instead. But Muromi isn’t your typical Disney princess—she’s a hyperactive chaos gremlin with a penchant for yelling about “meteor-stopping missions” and throwing starfish at people. And Takurou? He’s the ultimate straight man, reacting to her nonsense with the kind of deadpan “this might as well happen” energy that makes every joke land harder.

Fans on MyAnimeList are losing it over how unapologetically weird this show is. “Mermaids stopping meteors. Anime of the year all years,” one user joked, and honestly? They’re not wrong. The first episode alone features Muromi declaring she’s “17… maybe 18?” (classic mermaid age evasion), a talking starfish that delivers sassy one-liners, and an opening theme so over-the-top it feels like a parody of every shonen OP ever. “That OP was EPIC!!! ‘nuff said,” another fan raved—and yeah, the song’s a bop.

What makes Muromi-san work is its commitment to absurdity. Takurou never questions why a mermaid is hanging out at his pier, or why she brings her equally chaotic mermaid friends (like the token brown mermaid that one user side-eyed, but hey, we’ll let it slide) to crash his fishing trips. He just rolls with it, which makes the chaos feel even funnier. “The guy doesn’t really question most of the stuff that happens,” a viewer noted, and that’s the secret sauce. When the protagonist isn’t phased by a mermaid trying to “fertilize” his fishing bait (yes, that’s a real scene), you can’t help but laugh along.

Sure, it’s not perfect. Some fans wished the episodes were longer than 12 minutes (“Wish it was the normal 24m/ep,” one lamented), and a few found the character designs “ugly” or the humor too random. But for every hater, there are five more people saying things like, “This show was surprisingly good and had me in stitches the whole time” or “I laughed quite a bit. Was entertaining.” Let’s be real—when’s the last time an anime made you actually laugh out loud, not just exhale through your nose?

If you’re into shows like Seto no Hanayome (another wild mermaid comedy) or Nichijou (for that “what did I just watch?” vibe), Muromi-san is right up your alley. It’s the kind of series you watch when you’re stressed, when you need a break from heavy plotlines, or when you just want to see a mermaid yell at a starfish. And hey, with only 12 episodes, it’s the perfect binge-watch for a lazy Sunday.

So grab your fishing rod (or just your snack of choice) and dive into Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san. It’s dumb, it’s chaotic, and it’s exactly the kind of fun we all need right now. As one fan put it: “Never ask a lady her age. She’s really haphazard and I like how the guy doesn’t really question most of the stuff that happens.” Truer words never spoken.

Final Verdict: 8/10. It’s short, it’s silly, and it’s impossible not to love. Don’t sleep on this underrated gem—your funny bone will thank you.